Scientific News
Articles across mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy.
Science
Blindsight
Blindsight is the ability of people who are cortically blind to respond to visual stimuli that they do not consciously see due to lesions in the primary visual cortex, also known as the striate cortex or Brodmann Area 17. The term was coined by Lawrence Weiskrantz and his colleagues in a paper published in a 1974 issue of Brain. A previous paper studying the discriminatory capacity of a cortically
8/26/2026
Science
Altered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness (ASC), also called an altered state of mind, altered mental status (AMS), or mind alteration, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking state. It describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary. A synonymous phrase is "altered state of awareness".
8/26/2026
Science
Bursting
Bursting, or burst firing, is an extremely diverse general phenomenon of the activation patterns of neurons in the central nervous system where periods of rapid action potential spiking are followed by quiescent periods much longer than typical inter-spike intervals. Bursting is thought to be important in the operation of robust central pattern generators, the transmission of neural codes, and som
8/26/2026
Science
Augmented cognition
Augmented cognition is an interdisciplinary area of psychology and engineering, attracting researchers from the more traditional fields of human-computer interaction, psychology, ergonomics and neuroscience. Augmented cognition research generally focuses on tasks and environments where human–computer interaction and interfaces already exist. Developers, leveraging the tools and findings of neurosc
8/26/2026
Science
Bridge locus
In neuroscience the bridge locus for a particular sensory percept is a hypothetical set of neurons whose activity is the basis of that sensory percept. The term was introduced by D.N. Teller and E.Y. Pugh Jr. in 1983, and has been sparingly used. Activity in the bridge locus neurons is postulated to be necessary and sufficient for sensory perception: if the bridge locus neurons are not active, the
8/26/2026
Science
Biomimetic material
Biomimetic materials are materials developed using inspiration from nature. This may be useful in the design of composite materials. Natural structures have inspired and innovated human creations. Notable examples of these natural structures include: honeycomb structure of the beehive, strength of spider silks, bird flight mechanics, and shark skin water repellency. The etymological roots of the n
8/26/2026
Science
Biological neuron model
Biological neuron models, also known as spiking neuron models, are mathematical descriptions of the conduction of electrical signals in neurons. Neurons (or nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells within the nervous system, able to fire electric signals, called action potentials, across a neural network. These mathematical models describe the role of the biophysical and geometrical characte
8/26/2026
Science
Anti-Hebbian learning
In neuroethology and the study of learning, anti-Hebbian learning describes a particular class of learning rule by which synaptic plasticity can be controlled. These rules are based on a reversal of Hebb's postulate, and therefore can be simplistically understood as dictating reduction of the strength of synaptic connectivity between neurons following a scenario in which a neuron directly contribu
8/26/2026
Science
Biological motion
Biological motion is motion that comes from actions of a biological organism. Humans and animals are able to understand those actions through experience, identification, and higher level neural processing. Humans use biological motion to identify and understand familiar actions, which is involved in the neural processes for empathy, communication, and understanding other's intentions. The neural n
8/26/2026
Science
Bilingual interactive activation plus
Bilingual interactive activation plus (BIA+) is a model for understanding the process of bilingual language comprehension and consists of two interactive subsystems: the word identification subsystem and task/decision subsystem. It is the successor of the Bilingual Interactive Activation (BIA) model which was updated in 2002 to include phonologic and semantic lexical representations, revise the r
8/26/2026
Science
Body image (neuroscience)
Body image is a complex construct, often used in the clinical context of describing a patient's cognitive perception of their own body. The medical concept began with the work of the Austrian neuropsychiatrist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder, described in his book The Image and Appearance of the Human Body first published in 1935. The term "body image" was officially introduced by Schilder himself
8/26/2026
Science
Behavioral epigenetics
Behavioral epigenetics is the field of study examining the role of epigenetics in shaping animal and human behavior. It seeks to explain how nurture shapes nature, where nature refers to biological heredity and nurture refers to virtually everything that occurs during the life-span (e.g., social-experience, diet and nutrition, and exposure to toxins). Behavioral epigenetics attempts to provide a
8/26/2026
Science
Outline of brain mapping
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to brain mapping: Brain mapping – set of neuroscience techniques predicated on the mapping of (biological) quantities or properties onto spatial representations of the (human or non-human) brain resulting in maps. Brain mapping is further defined as the study of the anatomy and function of the brain and spinal cord through the u
8/26/2026
Science
Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations
Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) are resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) metrics that quantify the power of spontaneous, low-frequency (~0.01–0.10 Hz) fluctuations of the BOLD signal within a voxel or region of interest. ALFF measures the square root of the power spectrum within a predefined low-frequency band (commonly 0.01–0.08 or 0.01–0.10 Hz). The e
8/26/2026
Science
Budapest Reference Connectome
The Budapest Reference Connectome server computes the frequently appearing anatomical brain connections of 418 healthy subjects. It has been prepared from diffusion MRI datasets of the Human Connectome Project into a reference connectome (or brain graph), which can be downloaded in CSV and GraphML formats and visualized on the site in 3D.
8/26/2026
Science
Associative interference
Associative interference is a cognitive theory established on the concept of associative learning, which suggests that the brain links related elements. When one element is stimulated, its associates can also be activated. The most known study demonstrating the credibility of this concept was Pavlov's experiment in 1927 which was later developed into the learning procedure known as classical condi
8/26/2026
Science
Campenot chamber
A Campenot chamber is a three-chamber petri dish culture system devised by Robert Campenot to study neurons. Commonly used in neurobiology, the neuron soma or cell body is physically compartmentalized from its axons allowing for spatial segregation during investigation. This separation, typically done with a fluid impermeable barrier, can be used to study nerve growth factors (NGF). Neurons are pa
8/26/2026
Science
Axo-axonic synapse
An axo-axonic synapse is a type of synapse, formed by one neuron projecting its axon terminals onto another neuron's axon. Axo-axonic synapses have been found and described more recently than the other more familiar types of synapses, such as axo-dendritic synapses and axo-somatic synapses. The spatio-temporal properties of neurons get altered by the type of synapse formed between neurons. Unlike
8/26/2026
Science
Bell's mania
Bell's mania, also known as delirious mania, refers to an acute neurobehavioral syndrome. This is usually characterized by an expeditious onset of delirium, mania, psychosis, followed by grandiosity, emotional lability, altered consciousness, hyperthermia, and in extreme cases, death. It is sometimes misdiagnosed as excited delirium (EXD) or catatonia due to the presence of overlapping symptoms. P
8/26/2026
Science
Brainshuttle
Brainshuttle or brain shuttle is a technology developed by Roche to help molecules such as monoclonal antibodies to cross the blood-brain barrier more than they would otherwise. It has been tested with anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies such as trontinemab.
8/26/2026
Science
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a system of biological processes by which photopigment-bearing autotrophic organisms, such as most plants, algae and cyanobacteria, convert light energy—typically from sunlight—into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabolism. The term photosynthesis usually refers to oxygenic photosynthesis, a process that releases oxygen as a byproduct of water splitting. Photosynthe
8/26/2026
Science
Nutation (botany)
Nutation refers to the bending movements of stems, roots, leaves and other plant organs caused by differences in growth in different parts of the organ. Circumnutation refers specifically to the circular movements often exhibited by the tips of growing plant stems, caused by repeating cycles of differences in growth around the sides of the elongating stem. Nutational movements are usually disting
8/26/2026
Science
Himanshu Pandya
Himanshu Pandya is an Indian professor and academic at the Botany Department Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. He earned a MSc and PhD in botany and areas of specialization In vivo and In vitro studies on physiological and biochemical parameters on Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum and Lily.
8/26/2026
Science
Pioneer species
Pioneer species are resilient species that are the first to colonize barren environments, or to repopulate disrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession. Various kinds of events can create good conditions for pioneers, including disruption by natural disasters, such as wildfire, flood, mudslide, lava flow or a climate-related extinction event, or by anthropogenic ha
8/26/2026
Science
Plant nutrition
Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth and reproduction, plant metabolism and their external supply. In its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle, or that the element is part of some essential plant constituent or metabolite. This is in accordance with Justus von Liebig's law of the minimum. The total essential plant nut
8/26/2026
Science
Petrifaction
In geology, petrifaction or petrification (from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock, stone') is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this process, but all organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates, can become petrified (although harder, more durable mat
8/26/2026
Science
Plant breeders' rights
Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted in certain places to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue culture) and harvested material (cut flowers, fruit, foliage) of a new variety for a number of years. The system of plant breeders' rig
8/26/2026
Science
Phyllosphere
In microbiology, the phyllosphere is the total above-ground surface of a plant when viewed as a habitat for microorganisms. The phyllosphere can be further subdivided into the caulosphere (stems), phylloplane (leaves), anthosphere (flowers), and carposphere (fruits). The below-ground microbial habitats (i.e. the thin-volume of soil surrounding root or subterranean stem surfaces) are referred to as
8/26/2026
Science
Plant ontology
Plant ontology (PO) is a collection of ontologies developed by the Plant Ontology Consortium. These ontologies describe anatomical structures and growth and developmental stages across Viridiplantae. The PO is intended for multiple applications, including genetics, genomics, phenomics, and development, taxonomy and systematics, semantic applications and education.
8/26/2026
Science
Photochemical Reflectance Index
The Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) is a reflectance measurement developed by John Gamon during his tenure as a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Christopher Field at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University. The PRI is sensitive to changes in carotenoid pigments (e.g. xanthophyll pigments) in live foliage. Carotenoid pigments are indicative of photosynthetic light use eff
8/26/2026
Science
Phytosemiotics
Phytosemiotics is a branch of biosemiotics that studies the sign processing capabilities present in plants. Some functions that plants perform that utilize this simple semiosis include cellular recognition, plant perception, intercellular communication, and plant signal transduction. Comparative to the sign processing present in animals and humans, phytosemiotics occurs at the cellular level, with
8/26/2026
Science
Neophyte (botany)
In botany, a neophyte (from Greek νέος (néos) "new" and φυτόν (phutón) "plant") is a plant species which is not native to a geographical region and was introduced in recent history. Non-native plants that are long-established in an area are called archaeophytes. In Britain, neophytes are defined more specifically as plant species that were introduced after 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived i
8/26/2026
Science
Francis S.P. Ng
Francis S.P. Ng (born 1940) is a Malaysian botanist of Chinese descent, who received his PhD in 1971 from Wolfson College, Oxford. Ng is a former Deputy Director-General of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, the history of which he describes in a partially autobiographical book. In 2009 he was awarded the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration by the National Tropical Botanical Garden f
8/26/2026
Science
Perennation
In botany, perennation is the ability of organisms, particularly plants, to survive from one germinating season to another, especially under unfavourable conditions such as drought or winter cold. It typically involves development of a perennating organ, which stores enough nutrients to sustain the organism during the unfavourable season, and develops into one or more new plants the following year
8/26/2026
Science
Proteinase inhibitors in plants
In plant biology, proteinase inhibitors are a family of small proteins that serve an integral role in the plant's defense mechanisms against herbivory from insects or microorganisms that may compromise the integrity of the plant.
8/26/2026
Science
Paraheliotropism
Paraheliotropism refers to the phenomenon in which plants orient their leaves parallel to incoming rays of light, usually as a means of minimizing excess light absorption. Excess light absorption can cause a variety of physiological problems for plants, including overheating, dehydration, loss of turgor, photoinhibition, photo-oxidation, and photorespiration, so paraheliotropism can be viewed as a
8/26/2026
Science
Plant genome assembly
A plant genome assembly represents the complete genomic sequence of a plant species, which is assembled into chromosomes and other organelles by using DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) fragments that are obtained from different types of sequencing technology.
8/26/2026
Science
Photothermal ratio
The photothermal ratio (PTR), also named photothermal quotient, is a variable that characterizes the amount of light available to plants relative to the temperature level. It is used in plant biology to characterize the growth environment of plants.
8/26/2026
Science
Pl@ntNet
Pl@ntNet is a citizen science project for automatic plant identification through photographs and based on machine learning. Users take a photograph, and the system can identify it as one of more than 77,000 plant species. Pl@ntNet has processed more than a billion photographs from users.
8/26/2026
Science
Phorophyte
In botany, phorophytes are plants on which epiphytes grow. The term is composed of phoro, meaning bearer or carrier and phyte, meaning plant.
8/26/2026
Science
Photoblasticism
Photoblasticism is a mechanism of seed dormancy. Photoblastic seeds require light in order to germinate. Once germination starts, the stored nutrients that have accumulated during maturation start to be digested which then supports cell expansion and overall growth. Within light-stimulated germination, Phytochrome B (PHYB) is the photoreceptor that is responsible for the beginning stages of germin
8/26/2026
Science
Seed
In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a testa. More generally, the term seed means anything that can be sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds are the product of the ripened ovule, after the embryo sac is fertilized by sperm from pollen, forming a zygote. The embryo within a seed develops from the zygote and grow
8/26/2026
Science
Pollen tube
A pollen tube is a tubular structure produced by the male gametophyte of seed plants when it germinates. Pollen tube elongation is an integral stage in the plant life cycle. The pollen tube acts as a conduit to transport the male gamete cells from the pollen grain—either from the stigma (in flowering plants) to the ovules at the base of the pistil or directly through ovule tissue in some gymnosper
8/26/2026
Science
Trichome
Trichomes (; from Ancient Greek τρίχωμα (tríkhōma) 'hair') are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant is an indumentum, and the surface bearing them is said to be pubescent.
8/26/2026
Science
Stolon
In biology, a stolon ( from Latin stolō, genitive stolōnis – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal stolons are exoskeletons (external skeletons).
8/26/2026
Science
Plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener (amateur or professional), nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used. The word is sometimes said to be synonymous with "botanist" or "horticulturist", but that would indicate a professional involvement, whereas "plantsman" reflects an
8/26/2026
Science
Plastochron
As the tip of a plant shoot grows, new leaves are produced at regular time intervals if the temperature is held constant. This time interval is termed the plastochron (or plastochrone). The plastochrone index and the leaf plastochron index are ways of measuring the age of a plant depending on morphological traits rather than on chronological age. Use of these indices removes differences caused by
8/26/2026
Science
Ruderal species
A ruderal species is a plant species that is the first to colonize disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural – for example, wildfires or avalanches – or the consequences of human activities, such as construction (of roads, of buildings, mining, etc.) or agriculture (abandoned fields, irrigation, etc.). The term ruderal originates from the Latin word rudus, meaning "rubble". Ruderal species
8/26/2026
Science
Semi-deciduous
Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody species, for example in Dipteryx odorata. Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen may also describe some trees, bushes or plants that normally only lose part of th
8/26/2026
Science
Rhizobacteria
Rhizobacteria are root-associated bacteria that can have a detrimental (parasitic varieties), neutral or beneficial effect on plant growth. The name comes from the Greek rhiza, meaning root. The term usually refers to bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with many plants (mutualism). Rhizobacteria are often referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, or PGPRs. The term PGPRs was fir
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